Lady Maryland: Day Three

Wednesday morning, the cadets had the option to be woken up super-early at 4:00AM to witness as Lady Maryland passed through New York Harbor and up the east side of Manhattan. The city was spectacularly lit up and the cadets took many pictures of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, and Manhattan’s skyline. After a couple of hours of sleep, the cadets were up and ready by 7:30AM as Lady Maryland continued on through Long Island Sound.

Just before noon, the boat made its first stop at the port of Norwalk, Connecticut for refueling and resupplying provisions. The cadets got to spend some precious time on land after being on the sea for more than two days straight. They visited the local beach and park while the crew got the boat ready.

After a short lunch, the Lady Maryland anchored off nearby Sheffield Island, and the cadets were taken onshore by her small motorboat Swampy. While on the island, the cadets did some studies of tidal biodiversity using seine nets. Shieffield Island has a historical decommissioned lighthouse and the very friendly park administrator gave all an information-packed tour of the grounds and the history of the island.

To keep on schedule, the cadets were back onboard by 4:00PM. Late afternoon, Lady Maryland caught some favorable winds and was speeding away at an impressive nine knots at times!

In the evening, the boat was anchored (with the help off all the cadets of course) off the town of Milford, Connecticut. The cadets had a late night lesson of astronomy – learning to identify constellations and talking about their usefulness in navigation. That night was the first that Lady Maryland was to be anchored overnight, so the cadets had anchor watches and were allowed to sleep on deck under the stars!

A few pictures of our cadets... more to come

Lady Maryland: Day Two

Day two and our cadets are in the full swing of living, learning, and sailing a boat. This morning, we had all hands on deck as sails rose on Lady Maryland to enable her to do what she does best!

Although the weather proved to be less than perfect at times with some rain, the cadets continued with their daily routine of watches and educational sessions intermingled with lots of fun games. Our two marine science educators introduced the topic of estuaries, and the similarities and differences between them and wetlands, and how estuaries relate to whales.

Lady Maryland hugged the New Jersey shore as she continues to make her voyage up the East Coast.

Lady Maryland: Day One

Welcome CTY Friends and Families!

Although you cannot be aboard with us, we hope that this blog will keep you up to date on Lady Maryland’s voyage as well as all the things your dearest are up to.

Yesterday morning, nine brave cadets boarded Lady Maryland at Pier Five of Baltimore Harbor to set out on an unforgettable journey. The crew on a boat is like one big organism: in order for it to function properly, all its parts need to work as one. That is why all the cadets were introduced to the crew through ice-breakers and group activities. This was followed by a general safety session and an introduction to all the areas of the boat. Being one community, four general rules were established by all to make the next nine days the best ever – the importance of (1) safety, (2) communication, (3) respect, and (4) fun!

The first day was full of new information for the cadets: they learned the general operations of the boat watch such as forward watch, navigation, boat checks, and steering. The cadets are divided into two watch teams – while one is on watch with the experienced boat crew, the other has educational activities with our two enthusiastic marine science educators. Everyone was super excited so we asked each cadet to write a little “reaction to the first day and their expectations/hopes for the next eight to come:

“I had a lot of fun! The food was great as was the weather. I enjoyed every second of it and I’m going to sleep very well tonight.” – Charlie

“The weather is really nice and the wind feels good!” – Aaron

“At first, I was getting dizzy but now it all seems fine.” – Tommy

“It was awesome when we began to move and the crew were all very nice and willing to get to know us. Standing watch was fun and I enjoyed doing the different jobs, especially controlling the helm.” –Betsy

“It was a fun and interesting day!” – Matt Y.

“I want to learn everything there is to know about sailing!” – Miles

“I enjoyed the first day because we got to know everyone, and we had fun learning about all the jobs on the Lady Maryland and learning about the boat itself. I like just looking out across the water and feeling the nice breeze! – Nathalie

“The boat looked so tiny when I first saw it. It is actually pretty little but it is OK. I don’t like the bathroom though, it is too little!” – Cindy

“The crew is nice and knowledgeable. They work us hard but we are learning what it takes to run a ship! Also, the crew made brownies and threw me an awesome birthday party! I was so surprised! Definitely one of the best birthdays ever!” – Matt D.

Monday, Lady Maryland made it to the Delaware Bay by going up north from Baltimore Harbor through the Chesapeake Bay and the C&D Canal. The clouds from a generally overcast day dissipated by evening just in time for a beautiful sunset over the Delmarva Peninsula.

By dinnertime the cadets really felt how much work and cooperation is needed for a smooth voyage – but also how much fun it is! One of our cadets had his birthday so our talented cook made a surprise brownie cake for all the cadets and crew to enjoy.

A great ending to the first day!

Welcome to 2011!!

Hello parents, families and friends,

The 2011 trips are now underway. The boat left the dock with smiles and excitment all around. We have a student with a birthday aboard today so it's an even more special day!! Hoping that everyone had a safe trip home from College of Notre Dame yesterday. Remember, we'll update this blog as often as we can, but it's not a priority. Enjoy your week!

The crew of the Lady Maryland